I was at the regional area and found that all of the petrol stations are closed by 9pm. and then I found 1 petrol station (Caltex) who would let you to fill up your petrol at their place, but they would charge you $20-$50 extra (according to the time, they charge more when its past midnight).
As it is Caltex, just wondering whether charging the extra $20-$50 is legal?
yes they did put a notice in front of their shop window for the late night surcharge, you have to give them a call so they can come and let you fill up
I wondered if that might be the case, under these circumstances it makes complete sense to me that they'd charge more as the night wore on - if I were getting woken up in the middle of the night I'd want it to be worth my while.
If they had credit card facilities at the pump and were just slugging you more because they could I'd be much less understanding.
This…
I don't understand why they got rid of pay @ pump facilities. Everyone other country has it… So much easier….PayPass only payments. If necessary tap and pin.
Simply because they're not interested in selling fuel, they make their money in the shop. Fuel is just the lure to get you in there. Pay at the pump means that you don't go in to the shop and buy a can of Coke and a Mars bar with about 300% margin on them.
wow, ive never heard of this before. so how long would you have to wait for someone to come after calling?
yes they did put a notice in front of their shop window for the late night surcharge, you have to give them a call so they can come and let you fill up
a call out charge or in this case a after hours opening charge. this normal for business that close when everything lease is also closed.
I don't think it's illegal, because they're offering a service which it appears nobody else in the area is willing to provide in allowing you to fill up outside hours - although for that money I think I'd pass up the opportunity.
Probably wouldn't be worth it for a normal passenger car, but truck drivers might be a different story.
I've seen a few unmanned servos around where you pay by credit card, guessing there's none of these in your area?
yes I agree that it is a surcharge for something "outside the normal hours". if its an independent petrol station, that it would make more sense. Im just thinking because they are under the "Caltex" name, they must be the franchisee and whether Caltex allows such surcharge, or opening outside the normal hours?
That's more of a matter of franchise/store policy rather than law/whether it's legal or not.
thanks for the clarification, Im just asking out of curiosity as this was the first time I saw such surcharge hahaha
nvm
a bit tired.
Where was this?
(and how long has Chadstone been regional) lol
it was near Corryong town :)
sydney has none of this
it is still in VIC, but close to the border of VIC/NSW. But yeah, most of the servo in Melb are open 24/7 :)
I see no problem with this. This is in a remote area, where there is likely no traffic to justify having someone working all night. The person is likely having to come from home after been woken up to provide this additional service. If not for the surcharge, they wouldn't have any incentive to provide this service.
Whether the pump is Caltex franchisee or independent should not make a difference.
I agree, Basically the shopkeeper is saying, If you're after hours and desperate we will come back and open for you to fill up for a $20 fee. It's similar to carparks having after hours exit fees where you call the guy and he comes to you. It's your choice whether to wait until tomorrow or pay if you really need it. Can't complain at that
I agree, I dont mind paying for the surcharge as people said it is the 'premium" fee, but was just wondering whether Caltex allows for that surcharge or not, hahaha :D
It's a premium service. Think of it as a surcharge for poor petrol planning. :)
It's a premium service. Think of it as a surcharge for
poor petrol planningrunning a high value cash crop from Adelaide in the cover of darkness :)
Fixed :)
It is legal, and it's basically the cost of having someone on-call at all hours and willing to come from home quickly to open the Caltex to let you fill up out of hours. The charge is displayed before you call, so it is up to you to think about how worthwhile it is…
Not disputing its legality, but being a Caltex chain store I would have thought the franchisor would have an issue with it
If they had an issue with it, then they would just have the store remain shut. END of story.
No Franchisee would be forced to open their store after its closed.
Amateur lawyers should be banned…. just like real Lawyers both are a blight on comonsense
Id just ring to make them come out at some ungodly hour and then proceed to tell them my life story.
Which might not be much longer if they're really pissed off. :)
As others have said, I think it's pretty justified if someone has to wake up in the middle of the night to serve you.
OzBargain solution - sleep in your car until the late charge no longer applies :)
or somebody else comes along and incurs the late charge and you get a freebie (maybe)
A family member who works in the industry and in that region says "New to me
Most Caltex's in regional area's not 24 hr have an OPT (outside payment terminal)which takes all cards with PIN number."
But I guess a small remote servo may not be able to justify the cost of an OPT.
In fact, it is kind of them to even offer the after hours' service for those who hadn't planned their fuel usage.
We are quite spoilt with the ready availability of fuel and the phenomenal ranges now possible with vehicle economy and tank sizes.
Who remembers the 2 shilling coin operated pumps that enabled night time country travel in the 60s?
If the business is closed and they have to pay someone to open up for you. They have to pay the person a minimum of 3 hours even if they only work 10 minutes, plus penalty rates plus overtime.$50 seems too cheap. It must be the owner doing the work, because they are the only ones stupid enough to work for less than the award.
Show them the thread OP so that next time you turn up after hours they can refuse to answer calls from your phone.
Waiting till normal opening hours should let you know what a bargain a $50 surcharge is
not sure about legality…but there is a 24x7 Caltex place near me (unmanned), and I've filled up there after 9pm before (was before midnight), and wasn't slugged
I'd imagine they'd have to make any surcharges etc very visibly clear, and if not, you may have a case